February 2023

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2023 and once again there’s lots of good news to share from the last few weeks.

 

This week the NHS announced the Delivery Plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services which sets outs the vital role of community services. I was delighted that our work in the community to support patients closer to home was featured on ITV news and more recently on Sky. Community services are integral to ensuring our local population receive the right care in the right setting.

 

Mental health support and more people accessing services in more challenging times remains at the forefront of our work, the Trust's Chief Operating Officer for Local Services, Dr Chris Hilton, spoke to MyLondon about when is the right time to talk to a professional.

 

We continue to champion the wider vaccination programme. Our Ealing learning disabilities team were recently interviewed by Nursing Times about their successful vaccination programme.

 

This year the Trust is taking a proactive approach to keep staff fit and healthy. We’ve launched the West London Get Fit campaign with many of our staff already sharing stories about how they keep fit. We are rolling this wider to our local community partners and plan to continue this campaign this year- please do join us.

 

We hosted Maria Caulfield, MP and Health Minister for Mental Health to Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit recently, where she spoke to a number of the staff from the wards. The Trust continues to engage with stakeholders about the future of inpatient services in Ealing following the temporary closure of Wolsey Wing at St Bernard’s Hospital. There is still time to contribute to this, so I encourage anyone wanting to have their say or find out more, to get in touch.

 

A big thank you to all our staff and colleagues for all your continued support.


Carolyn Regan,

Chief Executive

West London NHS Trust

BFI premiere for Trust backed short film co-produced by young people


In December, there was a special premiere of the new Nexus short film.

The film is a collaboration between West London NHS Trust, Inner Eye Productions and Imperial College London, exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on young people’s mental health. The screening took place at BFI Stephen Street cinema and is being archived by the BFI which means it will be watched in years to come to better understand the pandemic. An online premiere is being planned and is due to take place as part of Eating Disorder Awareness Week in February.

Trust in the news


December was a bumper month for media with the Trust. Nurses from the Ealing Learning Disability Team appeared in Nursing Times talking about their successful vaccination programme. Meanwhile, Dr Chris Hilton, Chief Operating Officer for Local Services, spoke to MyLondon about when to seek help for your mental health as we enter the winter period. Sky News also attended Clayponds Hospital in Ealing to find out how the hospital and the Trust’s rapid response team are caring for patients at home and preventing acute hospital admissions.

Trust is accredited by the Living Wage Foundation


West London NHS Trust has been accredited as a Living Wage Employer.

This means it’s committed to making sure everyone working at its London sites is paid the London Living Wage of £11.95 per hour. Meanwhile, those working at Broadmoor Hospital in Crowthorne will be paid a minimum hourly wage of £10.90 per hour in line with the real Living Wage for the UK. In London, nearly a fifth of all jobs (17.2%) pay less than the real Living Wage, which is the equivalent of 700,000 jobs, so it's a great achievement for the Trust to receive this accreditation.

Trust welcomes stakeholders to engagement sessions


The Trust continues to engage with stakeholders about the future of inpatient mental health services in Ealing. Last month the Trust welcomed members of the public to an in-person event at the Wolsey Wing at St Bernard's Hospital. The Hope and Horizon wards have been suspended since the start of the pandemic. At the last meeting, the Trust spoke to representatives from Ealing Save Our NHS campaign and local councillor Daniel Crawford from the Ealing Health Scrutiny Committee.

There are more engagement events coming up, so please attend to have your say.

MP and health minister visits West London NHS Trust


Last month, the Trust welcomed MP and health minister Maria Caulfield to Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit for a round table discussion on a range of key health topics and a tour of some of the wards. The visit was hosted by Trust CEO Carolyn Regan, with members of staff across acute services discussing some of the work taking place to support emergency care services this winter, and protect people in mental health crisis. You can read more about the visit here.

Chelsea FC is the location of special CAMHS event


Last week the Trust hosted a special CAMHS event in collaboration with CNWL and Positive Practice in Mental Health (PPIMH). The event was called Supporting the Mental Health of Children and Young People post Covid-19 and was held at Chelsea Football Club. There were some excellent discussions from staff who shared positive practice from their own respective Trusts. Some of these discussions shone a spotlight on digital resources like Best for You and MaST as well as crisis care for children and the power of co-production.

West London refugee programme shown at prestigious event


The Trust's Deputy Director of Workforce, Nathan Christie-Plummer, was invited to speak as part of a panel for the London Anchor Institutions Network (LAIN) Conference. The conference was held on Tuesday 31 January at Senate House at the University of London with keynote speakers including the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Nathan spoke as part of a panel for the 'Transformation at scale: a conversation with the NHS' section and a video highlighting the Trust's refugee recruitment programme was shown to audiences.

New digital wellbeing support platform ‘Qwell’ launches


Qwell is a new digital mental health platform commissioned by West London NHS Trust and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

The service is available for all adults aged 18 and over in North West London and helps them to access free, safe and anonymous support through an online mental health community provided by qualified practitioners. Qwell is a welcome addition to the Trust's growing digital resources and sits alongside Kooth, a service aimed at young people. Read more about Qwell here.

Staff lead the way in new Trust-wide fitness campaign


With flu and Covid-19 infections on the rise, the Trust has launched a new campaign to encourage staff to be fit and healthyNamed 'West London Get Fit', the campaign aims to bring staff and the local community together through walking, running, swimming, cycling or any other activities. The Trust has been busy sharing stories from its staff on its latest news page, in a bid to inspire and motivate others to take part and join the West London Get Fit community. 

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